by Jae
"This," Aiden held up a crime scene photo and pointed to one of the objects the rapist had vented his rage on, "is a lesbian magazine. And this victim," she lifted the other file, "had three dozen books in her bookcase that you would never find in your grandmother's collection, including The Joys of Lesbian Sex."
Ray clapped her lightly on the back. "Well done, partner." They both knew that discovering the motive and background of the crimes could be instrumental in leading them to the perp. He noticed that none of the other detectives asked Aiden about her vast knowledge of lesbian literature, simply accepting that she would know about such a thing.
"So we have a total of four cases with a number of similarities." Aiden looked down at her notepad. "One, the victim's a lesbian or bisexual and in her twenties or early thirties. Two, the perp breaks into the apartment at night, always between three and four a.m. Three, the perp's always described as tall, dark-haired, and muscular. And four, he never wears a condom."
"What about DNA evidence?" Ray asked hopefully. "We could at least prove that these cases are linked to each other."
Aiden sighed. "No, we can't. Dawn's patient never reported the rape, and the statute of limitations ran out last year. Victim number two, Melanie Riggs, hesitated a week before calling us, and Jayne Matthews took a shower, so no DNA evidence from any of them."
Dr. Albert Renshaw entered the squad room and headed directly toward the detectives. "You called me about a case?"
"Yes." Aiden handed the files to the forensic psychiatrist. "I think you should have a look at these. We've discovered three other cases that seem to be connected to Dawn Kinsley's."
Renshaw read quietly, never even blinking an eye when he read about the victims' sexual orientation. "Seems like you found the reason why his attacks appeared somehow personal," he said when he looked up from the files. "We're dealing with a rapist who's expressing his hatred against lesbians through this kind of violence. That's why he never uses a condom. He wants them to experience his masculinity. In his mind, he's showing them how good 'sex' is with a man so that they can understand what they really need and repent their 'unnatural ways.'" Renshaw tapped the files he still held. "You're searching for a man who has been abandoned or rejected by a lesbian."
"Maybe a former girlfriend left him for a woman?" Ray suggested.
Renshaw tilted his head. "That's a possibility, but if that was the case, he'd be more likely to simply take his revenge and his anger out on that specific woman instead of transferring it to other lesbians. Unless she humiliated him in public."
Ruben grinned. "By standing him up at the altar or something like that?"
"Perhaps." Renshaw shrugged. "But maybe we're looking at something deeper here. It's more likely that he faced repeated or more profound rejection in some form. Something happened that made him hate lesbians. He's hunting these women." The psychiatrist studied the files again and scratched his beard. "Were all the victims single?"
Ray looked at his partner, who shrugged, "Uh, I think Dr. Kinsley is. I'm not sure about the others. Does it matter?"
"It might. I think he might be targeting single, white lesbians in their twenties and thirties," Renshaw answered.
"Why singles? Does he fantasize about starting a relationship with them?" Ray wondered.
Renshaw shook his head. "To him, a single lesbian is a threat, more likely than a lesbian couple to take something away from him. He's clearly a power-reassurance rapist – he rapes to assert power over his victims and to reassure himself of his masculinity."
"So he is likely to rape again?" Aiden asked.
Renshaw nodded and handed her the files. "Yes. And he will escalate if we don't stop him. If the rape doesn't live up to his fantasies, he'll get frustrated. He'll get more violent. Sooner or later, he could end up killing someone, especially if the victim tries to resist.”
Aiden's grip around the files tightened. What if Dawn had tried to fight him off?
"Any suggestions how we can find this nutcase?" Okada asked. "We can't very well question every man who's ever been given the old heave-ho because of another woman."
"He has probably committed some minor hate crimes – spraying homophobic slogans on front doors, harassment, assault – before he advanced to rape," Renshaw suggested.
Ray shook his head. "Even if he has, it's next to impossible to find him that way. Most of the victims of hate crimes never file charges."
Renshaw nodded in agreement. "He knows that most victims of hate crimes hesitate to call the police, and he exploits that. That's why he can take the chance and leave his DNA behind. I'm sure he never thought Ms. Kinsley would report the rape so soon after it happened, if at all."
"How do we find him?" Aiden asked.
"You need to find his hunting grounds," Renshaw said. "None of the victims remember meeting him before, so they didn't tell him their sexual orientation. There has to be a place where he sees them and can conclude their sexual orientation just from them being there... maybe a lesbian club, bar, or bookstore."
Ruben scratched the back of his neck. "That's a lot of places. We can't take them all under surveillance."
"Then start with the clubs and bars," Renshaw suggested. "Bookstores don't give him the time or opportunity to observe the victims and their interaction with other women. It's either a mixed gay/straight place or he works there; otherwise his continued presence would raise some red flags."
Aiden twirled her pen through her fingers. "Dawn said in her formal statement that she had come home late that night. Maybe she was out in a lesbian nightclub or something."
"Call her," Ray ordered. "We'll try to reach the other two victims."
* * *
Grace Kinsley didn't ask why Aiden was calling or how she had known that she would find Dawn in her mother's home.
"Could I talk to Dawn, or is she lying down?" Aiden asked, careful not to reveal how sick Dawn had been Sunday morning in case she hadn't told her mother about her possible pregnancy yet.
"Lying down?" Grace laughed. "No, she's up and running around my kitchen like a whirling dervish. I think she was even able to sleep a little the last few nights."
Aiden held her breath for a moment, waiting for further comments, but they didn't come. Apparently, Dawn hadn't told her mother where she had slept Saturday night.
"Here she is now." Grace gave the phone to her daughter.
"Detective?" Dawn sounded out of breath from "running around the kitchen," Aiden assumed.
"Hi," Aiden said, hesitant to interrupt Dawn's good mood. "How are you?"
"A lot better," Dawn said. It sounded sincere. "And officially not pregnant. My doctor said it was probably just all this stress and tension I've been under and the emergency contraceptives that threw my cycle off and upset my stomach."
Aiden almost dropped the phone. She hadn't been prepared for that particular personal revelation. "Wow! That's... good news, isn't it?"
"Yes." Dawn's voice was a whisper. "I think it is. It spared me from having to make a decision that I really didn't feel up to making."
Aiden cleared her throat, not knowing what else she should say on the topic. "Listen, there's something I need to ask you. You said that you had been out and came home late that Saturday night. Was it by any chance a lesbian club or bar you'd been to?"
"Yes. How did you know? Do you have a new lead? Do you know who...?"
"Calm down," Aiden ordered, not unsympathetic to Dawn's excitement. She felt her own adrenaline rising at the thought of catching the perp. "You know I can't talk to you about the specifics of the case. We'll tell you when we know for sure, okay? Now, can you give me the address of that club?"
* * *
Aiden leaned back in the passenger seat of the unmarked police car, sipping her coffee and watching the people in front of the club.
"How are we going to play this?" Ray asked from the driver's seat. "Looks like it's not a mixed gay/straight club, so I can't go in undercover." They had only seen women heading i
nto the club. "Or do you think I could pass as a lesbian?" Ray fluffed his short, frizzy hair and grinned.
Aiden backhanded him across the chest. "No, you can't, smart-ass. But maybe I could if I try hard enough, huh?" She winked.
Ray laughed. "Who's the smart-ass now?"
"How about you flash the badge at the back door and ask to talk to the manager while I stand in line like a good little lesbian and keep an eye on any man I encounter in there?" Aiden suggested.
Ray hesitated. "I don't like this, Aiden. If you go in there as a customer, you could become a target." His dark eyes looked at her in concern.
"And if I go in there as a cop, we won't get the answers we're after," Aiden said. "Besides, him coming after me might be a good thing. At least it'll give us a reason to arrest him without a warrant."
"Okay." Ray sighed and checked his weapon one last time. "We'll do it your way."
Aiden waited until he had crossed the parking lot and disappeared behind the building before she got out of the car. She strolled toward the front door and joined the back of the line. She looked around as she waited, pressing her right elbow against the gun hidden under her half-open leather jacket so no one in the waiting crowd could detect or try to grab it. Through the open door, she could see into the club. The blinding strobe lights that flashed across the large dance floor and a thick wall of smoke made it hard to see clearly, but she could tell that it was already crowded inside. Aiden was a little concerned about that.
She was almost sure now that the rapist had spotted Dawn and the other victims here. The smoke and beer Dawn had smelled on him told her that the rapist had been in the club, perhaps as one of the male bartenders she could detect behind the three bars covering the walls.
Aiden had reached the front of the line and glanced up in disbelief when the bouncer asked for some form of ID. She hadn't gotten carded in many years. No one could mistake her for a twenty-year-old.
"You're holding up the line, lady," the bouncer pressed.
Aiden looked up into the annoyed face and froze. In front of her stood the man who had raped Dawn Kinsley and at least three other women. There was no doubt in Aiden's mind. The police sketch artist couldn't have gotten his picture any better if he had sat for his portrait. Dawn had described him to the last little detail like the scars on his chin and above one eyebrow. The bouncer! Of course! He cards them to get their addresses. That way, he doesn't even have to follow them but can wait until the club closes and his shift ends.
"Hey! If you don't want in, step aside!" he barked at her.
Aiden hesitated but knew she couldn't arrest him without an arrest warrant and without her partner as a backup. She mumbled something about forgetting her ID and returned to the car.
Ray came back five minutes later. "Aiden!" he hissed when she leaned across and opened the driver's side door for him. "Where have you been? I thought you wanted to look around?"
"One look was all I needed," Aiden answered. "We have the bastard, Ray!" She pointed to the only male figure in front of the club.
"The bouncer?" Ray's eyes widened. He looked down at the papers he had in his hands. "When I told the manager we could come back with a bunch of uniformed officers to search his club and interview his customers, he was friendly enough to give me a list of his employees. The bouncer's name is..." Ray looked down at the document. "...Gary Ballard."
Aiden reached for her cell phone and pressed the speed dial for Kade Matheson's home. "Kade? Hi, it's Aiden. Sorry to interrupt you at home, but we need an arrest warrant. Right now would be great."
"On whom?" Kade wanted to know.
Aiden looked down at the club's payroll Ray held out for her. "One Gary – or Garett – Ballard. He's the man who raped Dawn Kinsley and three other women, probably more."
"Allegedly raped," Kade corrected.
Aiden was not in the mood for political correctness. "Yes, he allegedly broke into their homes, allegedly held them down at gun point, and allegedly raped them. Come on, Kade. I know he did it. I'm looking at him right now. He matches the police sketch to a T, and he works as a bouncer in the club all the victims frequented, so he had easy access to their addresses."
"Okay." Kade had worked with Aiden and her partner long enough to trust their word and know they had probable cause for a warrant. "I'll go and make myself unpopular with one of the judges and then meet you at that club."
Relieved, Aiden gave her the address. "Kade is on her way with a warrant," she said when she put down her cell phone.
They sat in the car without speaking, never letting the suspect out of their sight. It was a very long hour until Kade arrived and handed Aiden the folded blue document.
Trading one last quick glance with her partner, Aiden unsnapped the catch on her holster and strode toward the club's entrance again, this time without patiently standing in line first.
When the bouncer saw her coming, he smirked. "Finally found the ID, huh?"
"Yes, in fact I did. Good enough for you?" With a sneer that matched the bouncer's, Aiden opened her leather jacket wider to reveal the gold shield now clipped to her belt. "Garett Ballard, you are under arrest for –"
"Bitch!"
The fist that connected with her face interrupted Aiden before she could read him his Miranda rights.
"Hey!" Ray sprang forward, drawing his gun. "Don't move! Hands above your head! Aiden, you okay?"
"Yeah." Aiden regained her balance and pulled her gun from its holster, aiming it at Gary Ballard. For a second, she almost wished he would attack her again and give her a reason to use it.
"Put your hands on the wall!" Ray patted down their suspect and drew a gun from the back of Ballard's jeans.
"A Glock?" Aiden asked, touching the left side of her face. It hurt, but she was determined not to give Gary Ballard the satisfaction of letting it show.
Ray shook his head and pocketed the weapon. "SIG Sauer." He snapped his handcuffs around Ballard's wrists, but Ballard continued to struggle, hitting Ray in the stomach with his bound hands. Grunting, Ray tightened the cuffs and grabbed Ballard's arms to hold him still. "Wanna try again for the Miranda, now that we have Mr. Ballard's undivided attention?"
Aiden nodded. Her jaw hurt, but she wouldn't miss this for all the pain in the world. "Garett Ballard, you are under arrest for the rape of Dawn Kinsley, Melanie Riggs, and Jayne Matthews. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to speak to an attorney and to have that attorney present during any questioning. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be provided for you. Do you understand these rights?"
Gary Ballard spat in her direction.
"Looks like he does," Ray commented and dragged him toward the car.
* * *
Aiden was sitting on the steps leading to the Portland Community College's sports hall where Dawn's self-defense course was being held.
Finally, the door opened and a stream of women filed out of the building. Dawn was the last one out, one hand holding on to the strap of the backpack she had slung over her shoulder while the other gesticulated to the two women to whom she was talking.
Dawn quickly said good-bye to her companions when she saw Aiden sitting there. "Hi," she greeted, surprise clearly written on her face. "Are you waiting for me?" She sat down on the steps next to Aiden.
Aiden nodded. "Your mother said I'd find you here. How's the self-defense class going?"
"Great. I think it'll really help. I've even forced myself to leave the house after dark. It's –" Dawn stopped when she got her first good look at Aiden's face. "Oh my God! What happened to you? Maybe you should go right in and sign up for a refresher course." Dawn's joke couldn't hide the concern in her eyes. Her gaze wandered up and down Aiden's body as if searching for more injuries. She reached out a hand to touch Aiden's face, which was swollen and discolored around the left side of her jaw.
Aiden grabbed the hand before it could reach her face, held i
t for a few moments, and then awkwardly let go. She wasn't sure how she'd react to Dawn's touch, and this was not the time to find out. "It's nothing."
Dawn rolled her eyes. "Standard police answer for everything from a paper cut to a chest wound."
Aiden smiled through her hurting jaw. "I'm fine, really." She was silent for a few moments, not knowing how to start. "Dawn, we arrested someone tonight."
"What?" Dawn grabbed Aiden's forearm. Her whole body seemed to vibrate. "You caught him? Are you sure it's him?"
"Easy, easy." Gently, Aiden pried Dawn's fingers from her arm, surprised by the unexpected strength of the slender fingers. "I can't tell you that. You have to tell us. If I influenced you in any way, the lineup would be inadmissible in court."